


A Family Hunt

by keylimepie



Series: Charlotte 'Verse [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Gabriel (Supernatural) to the Rescue, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 04:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14741798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keylimepie/pseuds/keylimepie
Summary: Dean and Cas disappear while on a case, and Sam and Mel run into trouble trying to find them. Gabriel has to somehow juggle child care duties with epic archangel rescue duties. There are still witches on the loose, and it turns out spells may be even worse for angels than they are for hunters. But the worst of all might be Melanie's family drama.





	A Family Hunt

Sam Winchester took a deep breath and began a prayer. “Uh, hey Gabriel... we need help. I can’t find Dean or Cas. I already prayed to Cas, got nothin’.” Sam’s voice broke under the stress of pain. “We’re in the old shopping mall, near where the bodies were found. Um. We’re tied together, back to back… and I can’t get us free. We’ve tried and now Mel… I think she’s unconscious. She’s not answering me.” 

He didn’t mention the broken arm that was preventing him from undoing the knots, broken so badly and tied so tightly that he had no feeling or use of the hand. The other hand, his good hand, had three broken fingers he guessed, but of course one was the thumb and he couldn’t get the damn knots without it. He felt Melanie’s weight against his back, her head lolling around with his every movement, and he was careful not to squirm too much and hurt her. He had no idea what her injuries might be. He had heard the witches hitting her and heard her screams, but it had all been a blur as he had tried to fight his way to her. 

Gabriel sat on the edge of Charlotte’s bed, staring at the sleeping child, his hands clenched into fists. It had been a bad idea to send Sam and Mel off on this hunt after Dean and Cas had gone incommunicado. He should have just seen to it himself, his misgivings about getting involved in hunter business be damned. 

Now he knew that needed to get to Sam and Melanie, and find out what had happened to Dean and Castiel, there was no question about that. But he knew that humans frowned upon leaving five-and-a-half year old children to fend for themselves. Even if they were safe and in a very well warded location and had a cat to keep them company and probably weren’t inclined to start the stove or sword-fight or take up target shooting in the library. Probably. Or go up on the roof, late at night when they didn’t think they’d get caught, and practice flying… okay, so yeah, leaving the kid alone was out of the question. 

“Time to go to Grandma’s!” he exclaimed gleefully, yanking the blankets off the little girl. 

“Gabe!” she shouted. Or maybe it was just “gaaauuuuuaaiiiii.” She yanked for the blanket, her face scrunched up furiously in a perfect imitation of her uncle Dean’s angry face. “GO AWAY!” 

“No can do,” he said seriously. He scooped her into his arms. “Sorry, Pipsqueak. Hold tight, we’re going to Grandma’s house.” In a snap of the fingers, they were on the front step of Melanie’s parents’ home. It was 5:30 in the morning there, and the sun was just brightening the sky. Gabriel stood there, in jeans and a tshirt and an old hoodie of Sam’s, holding the shivering child in a nightdress. He pounded frantically on the front door and snapped his fingers again, putting Charlotte in regular clothing, shoes, and a jacket. 

The door was opened a moment later. A middle aged woman in a bathrobe blinked at them in confusion. Kathy Weiss and Melanie would not win any mother and daughter look-alike contests. Gabriel quickly cataloged their differences. Kathy’s eyes were green in contrast to Mel’s blue ones, her face narrow whereas Melanie’s cheeks were plump and dimpled. Kathy’s short blonde-frosted curls stuck up wildly all over - the curls at least were the same, though Mel wore hers long and in their natural light brown color, though she used tons of products to try to tame the frizz. Kathy was slimmer and taller than Melanie. She was holding a cup of coffee and a newspaper, which she quickly set down on the hall table. “What in the world? Charlotte?!” 

“No time to explain!” Gabriel exclaimed, handing the child to her. “Later. I’ll explain later. Take care of her.” He turned and bolted off the porch, running around the corner before he disappeared. 

Kathy held her granddaughter tightly against her. “What happened, baby? Where is your mother?” 

“Mommy and Daddy went away to help Uncle Dean and Uncle Cas with work,” Charlotte said. “Gabe was taking care of me. Then he woked me up and brought me here.” She rested her cheek against her grandmother’s shoulder. “I’m tired. Can I go back to bed?” 

“Well,” said Kathy indignantly. “I can’t believe your mother can’t choose a more suitable babysitter than that- that man. I’m sure there are decent sitters in Kansas.” 

“He’s not a babysitter. He’s Gabe. He’s family.” 

“Another uncle?” 

“Nooooo. He’s a stepdad. But I just call him Gabe cause that’s easier.” 

Kathy sunk onto the sofa. “Charlotte, we’re going to have a nice long talk about what’s been going on since you moved to Kansas.” 

* 

Gabriel flew to the scene where the newspaper article indicated the bodies had been found. He immediately spotted the abandoned shopping mall across the cracked pavement and flew inside. The floors were broken. Paint peeled and tiles were missing, and the great skylight in the center court was missing panes. Rats scurried around. Signs in the windows of stores still advertised sales and new trends, now some fifteen years out of date. Gabriel felt all around the building, looking for signs of life. The humans were well warded and would be hard to detect, but his Grace felt the answering pulse of a seraph’s. Weakened, far less than it should be, but recognizable as Castiel. Gabriel flew to it. It was a start. 

It was the stockroom of one of the large department stores. Store fixtures and mannequins still lingered, and even a few stacks of clothes and other products, all coated in thick layers of dust. Behind the tallest shelves he found Dean sprawled out on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Gabriel quickly healed him, bringing him jarringly back to consciousness. No time for gentleness. He brushed past Dean to where Castiel lay. The angel had been battered pretty badly, but it was the spellwork that concerned him. Gabriel healed the injuries to his brother’s vessel with a thought, but there was nothing he could do about the spell that was on him. 

Dean scrambled to his feet and run over to Cas. Gabriel made himself visible. “I’ve got to find Sam and Mel. I can’t undo the spell on Cas; I’m sorry. Do you know where they are?” 

Dean stared at the archangel. “I didn’t even know… they’re here?” 

“Yes, and they’re in trouble.” Gabriel flew out again, checking everywhere else in the enormous building. It was laborious, and he cursed himself for not thinking of a better way to ward his family without hiding them from himself. Surely he could devise something. At last, he popped into a lingerie store and found them in the breakroom. Sam was wavering on the edge of consciousness. Broken, bleeding, concussed. Melanie, unconscious against his back, was suffering a more severe brain bleed, broken ribs, one of which was near to puncturing a lung. Gabriel went to her first, repairing the life threatening injuries, his hands tenderly cupping her cheeks. He then slid his hand to Sam, unbruising his brain, knitting his bones back together, restoring the circulation and tissue damage in his hands as well as freeing them from the ropes. He caught them both as they slumped over into him. 

“You kids and your kinky games,” he said chidingly. 

“Gabriel!” Sam exclaimed. 

“How…” Melanie said. 

“I prayed,” Sam answered. “I couldn’t save you; I couldn’t get us free. I’m so sorry, Mel.” He hung his head, his hair falling over his scarlet cheeks. 

“Sam,” said Gabriel. “You can’t blame yourself for this. But we’ll talk about it later. We need to find those witches and we need to help Cas. He’s pretty messed up.” 

“The witches are in the town. They’ll bring more victims here by nightfall. By day, they’re in town. Hunting people.” Sam said. 

“What’s wrong with Cas?” Melanie asked, concerned. “We couldn’t find them when we came here.” They followed Gabriel out of the store and ran after him as he ran back toward the store where Dean and Cas had been. They met Dean carrying Cas, bridal style, out of the store towards the parking lot. Sam got to him first and reached out to help, but Gabriel was there a few steps later and lifted the unconscious angel easily into his arms. Dean followed as Gabriel ran toward the car, sprinting with the heavy burden as if he were the size of Charlotte. 

Gabriel crawled into the backseat with Castiel, while Melanie squished into the front between Sam and Dean. Gabriel sat cradling Castiel’s head on his lap, bent over and whispering into his ear in Enochian. 

“He gonna be okay?” Dean asked gruffly as he sped out of the parking lot back toward the motel. 

“I’m doing everything I can to speed it up. Spells always wear off eventually.” 

“When’s eventually,” Dean asked, gripping the steering wheel. Gabriel didn’t answer. 

“Where’s Charlotte?” Melanie exclaimed suddenly. She twisted around in the seat to stare at Gabriel. 

“Um,” he said, his eyes wide. “She’s fine, she…” 

“Is she home all alone?” she clutched Sam’s arm as she began to panic. “Gabriel, if-“ 

“No! No, I, uh. Itookhertoyourmom,” he mumbled. “Perfectly safe.” 

“…crap,” said Melanie, rubbing her temples with her fingers. “Fucking wonderful.” 

“If you’ve got a better idea I’d love to hear it,” Gabriel snapped bitterly. “Or maybe a ‘Thanks Gabriel, for saving all of our asses, for wearing your wings out flying all over the frigging place, for toasting your Grace healing everyone, for making sure everyone was taken care of.’ Oh, no, it’s ‘Gabriel, you dumb shit, why couldn’t you do better?’” He stroked Castiel’s hair as he felt the seraph stir a little. “Shhh, shhh, I gotcha, Bro. Take it easy.” 

“Dean…” Castiel rasped out. 

“He’s fine. He’s driving. Everyone’s fine except for you, bucko. So pull it together, kid. Fight whatever this is so we can go roast those assholes.” Castiel was struggling to sit up and Gabriel helped him, but kept a protective arm around his shoulders. 

“Hey, Baby,” Dean said, beaming into the rearview mirror as Castiel’s face appeared, too overwhelmed with the relief from worry to dampen his affection in front of the family. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.” 

“I’m sure I’m a sight,” Castiel agreed. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a train.” 

When they reached the motel, Castiel was able to walk the few feet to the room, though he leaned on Dean’s shoulder, and immediately collapsed onto the bed. Dean sat down next to him, holding his hand. Gabriel sat on the other side, near his head, still stroking his hair. Dean raised an eyebrow at him. “Dude, getting a little weirded out by you petting my boyfriend.” 

Gabriel wagged his eyebrows in response. “You can go ahead and pet mine.” He cackled heartily at Dean’s gagging noises. 

“He’s actually helping me heal, Dean. The physical contact allows me to borrow some energy to help me fight off the spell.” Castiel said hoarsely, shaking his head. 

Melanie sat next to Sam on the other bed, watching anxiously. She tried to make eye contact with Gabriel, but he was very pointedly ignoring her. She wished that she could believe that it was because he was busy trying to help Cas, though she was sure that it was more likely that she was getting the cold shoulder. There was nothing she could do, they couldn’t have this conversation in the middle of all this, and there were still witches out there in the town, hunting humans. She sighed. 

“Maybe Sam and I should go try to deal with the witches,” she suggested. “All the victims, including me, disappeared from the same shop, so… I mean, we know what they look like…” 

“And they know what you look like,” said Dean. “And what do you think they’re gonna do if you waltz in there? Sit still politely while you do the spell? For each one of them?” 

Melanie snorted. “I’ll go in the front door and keep them busy while Sam goes in the back and-“ 

“Oh, as a decoy? Brilliant,” Gabriel snarled. 

“Whatever gets the job done,” she retorted. “Someone has to-“ 

Gabriel stood up suddenly. “Cas, you hang tight for a few, alright? Dean, don’t let go of him. He can draw strength from contact with your soul, and that’ll heal him faster.” With that, Gabriel disappeared. Dean shifted around to lie down beside Castiel, and the angel cuddled into the man’s side, pillowing his head on Dean’s chest. 

Sam exhaled a troubled sigh. “I wonder if we should go after him, but he may be back by the time we can drive there.” 

“I guess I really pissed him off,” Melanie said miserably. 

“I think it’s more that you worried him,” Castiel said. “Speaking from experience of loving fragile humans who put themselves in danger.” 

“Hey, who you callin’ fragile?” Dean grumped playfully, nuzzling Castiel’s hair. 

“I shouldn’t have criticized him. About Charlotte. I mean, he’s right. What else could I have expected him to do? God, I’m such a bitch!” She thumped the nightstand with her fist. 

“Hey, just apologize. It’ll be okay,” Sam said, grabbing her hand and kissing it. “You think I’ve never said something shitty to him and had to eat my words?” 

Melanie sighed. “If he’s not back in five minutes, we’re going after him.” She stood up and walked across the room looked in the fridge, then back across to peer out the peephole of the door. She was just about to turn and make another circuit of the room when there was a thud behind her. She spun around and there was Gabriel, lying on the floor, against the wall in a heap, a dazed look on his face. Sam scrambled over and knelt beside him. 

“Honey, what did they do to you?” Sam murmured, caressing his cheeks. He scooped Gabriel in his arms easily and laid him on the bed. 

“Not as quick as I thought I was,” Gabriel said ruefully. “Just barely managed to fly back here. Guess I miscalculated.” He looked at Sam as he spoke, but his eyes wouldn’t quite focus. “Why there’s two of you, Sammich. Mmm. Two Sams.” 

Melanie looked back and forth at the two injured angels. “Hey, maybe let Sam and I go do this our way-“ 

“I already smote those sons of bitches,” Gabriel said, propping himself up on his elbow. “So calm your tits.” He chuckled. “Ohh I love your angry face. Whew, you’re hot when you’re pissed.” 

Dean snorted. “You high over there, Gabe?” 

Castiel said “One of the side effects of this spell seems to be the giddiness.” 

“You’re giddy?” Melanie asked him incredulously. 

“I’m feeling the effects. I’m just using a lot of willpower to behave myself,” Castiel said. 

“It’s okay Baby, we’re all family here. Let it out if you need to,” Dean assured him. “No sense straining yourself. Just be comfortable.” 

“Mmm,” Castiel agreed, squirming. “Thank you Dean, I think I will.” Castiel twisted around and pulled his arms free from his coat, then started loosening his tie. He quickly moved on to unbuttoning his shirt. 

“Whoa, Cas, that’s not-“ 

“It’s so _hot_ in here, Dean,” Castiel argued, pulling his shirt free of his pants and wrenching it off his arms. Melanie blinked. 

“Maybe I’ll just… sit over here,” she said, plunking herself down on the foot of the other bed, deliberately turning her back. She could still hear the rustle of clothing being removed. Sam, still hunched over Gabriel’s form, had angled himself too so as to give Cas some semblance of privacy. 

“Okay Cas, that’s probably – HEY I’m drawing the line at my clothes, okay?” Dean said. Melanie stifled a laugh behind her hand. 

“But Dean… so hot…” 

“I’m going to go get ice!” Melanie announced, jumping up and grabbing the ice bucket and the key from the table without glancing over there. 

“Get lots!” called Dean. 

When she returned five minutes later, she was relieved to notice that Castiel still had his underwear on at least, though it was quite obvious that he was enjoying the situation, at least on a very carnal level. He was pawing at Dean, but Dean was patiently grasping at his hands to still them or move them. 

“Okay, from what I recall, for a severe fever you ice armpits, neck, and groin,” she said, grabbing washcloths and small towels and wrapping them into icepacks. “Do you think it’s bad enough to warrant that, Dean? How hot does he feel?” 

“Um,” said Dean. “Yeah, let’s do all the ice.” Dean grabbed the hand towel filled with ice and placed it directly on his boyfriend’s crotch. 

“That is not enjoyable!” Castiel squawked, but Dean held it there, a firm hand on his hip to keep him still. 

“It’s for your own good.” 

“And my poor eyes,” Melanie added. 

Castiel twisted around to try to dislodge the icepacks, though Dean kept him from moving much. Melanie sat on the edge of the bed and packed the last one into his armpit. 

“Hold still, dammit,” she grouched. “Sam, how’s everything over there.” 

“Peachy,” he replied. “What the hell is going on over- oh, Gabriel, _really_?” 

Gabriel giggled. “Peachy.” There was the slurping, squelching sound of a peach being bitten. 

“They’re squishy. Ugh,” Sam protested. Melanie raised her head and glanced over at the other bed. Yes, Gabriel was lying in a pile of very ripe peaches. He was eating one, the juice running down his face. The room smelled strongly of the fruit. 

“So we have no idea how long this could last?” Dean sighed. 

“No, but I’m cold now,” Castiel whined. They pulled the ice packs off him and Dean pulled the blankets around the now shivering angel, tucking himself in next to him. Melanie carried the basin of ice packs to the bathroom. 

“The more touch, the faster it fixes,” Gabriel mumbled around a mouthful of fruit. “Come over here and touch me, Cupcake.” He patted the side of the bed, flattening a peach. “Oops.” 

Melanie sighed and grabbed the wastebasket and started clearing the peaches from the bed. “Guys, maybe we should hit the lore. Find something to fix this.” 

Sam shook his head. “There’s not going to be anything. _They_ are the leading experts on angels, and they’re kinda fruit loops at the moment- aw, fuck, Gabe!” Sam picked up a handful of colorful breakfast cereal and dumped it into the trash bin in disgust. 

“Hey!” Gabriel protested, grabbing another handful from the bed and stuffing it in his mouth. “’is is goo’ stuff.” He continued to cram Fruit Loops into his mouth at impossible speeds. 

“Maybe not angel lore, but witchy lore. Something about this spell. Maybe I should call Bobby,” Melanie mused, sitting down on the bed gingerly, trying not to sit in any food. She leaned across Gabriel’s legs. She thought about apologizing for the earlier interaction, but decided to wait. He probably wasn’t with it enough to have a serious conversation. 

Melanie dozed off. When she woke up, the shadows had shifted outside and the afternoon sun was peeking in the window. Gabriel was reciting something in a foreign language while playing with Sam’s fingers. Castiel was asleep, still cradled close to Dean, who was awake and frowning. 

“How’s Cas?” Melanie called softly. “Fever staying down?” 

“Yeah, I think so,” Dean said. 

It was fully dark when Castiel finally awoke. He sat up in a rustling of blankets, then clutched his head and moaned. “I got you, Angel,” Dean said, sitting up behind him and holding him. “Easy, there.” 

Melanie went to grab a bottle of water and the ibuprofen and brought them over. “Maybe this will help,” she suggested. 

“I don’t… angels don’t need…” 

“You’re not very angelic at the moment, near as we can figure,” she said patiently. 

Castiel nodded and popped the pills in his mouth and swallowed the water. He drained the entire bottle in a few seconds and then dropped it, pressing a hand to his stomach. “Ugh. That feels… sloshy.” His face suddenly looked very gray, and Melanie scrambled to grab a wastebasket and hand it to him, just in time for him to vomit into it. Dean held his shoulders firmly and grimaced. 

Melanie had another water ready when he was done. “Rinse and swish, don’t swallow,” she said. 

“Yes, I know that,” Castiel snapped. “This is so unpleasant.” 

“Mmhm,” Dean agreed. “Poor Cas, you’re usually on the receiving end.” 

“I cannot fathom how you humans can do this to yourselves on purpose.” He slumped back against Dean as Melanie took the wastebasket away. “Thank you, Melanie.” He tugged the sheet up. “Why are my clothes off? I apologize… I don’t even remember… Dean, we were in the shopping mall.” 

“Yeah, we got witched. They hit you with some kind of spell and beat the crap out of me. We were kind of in deep shit until Gabriel got there. Sam and Mel, too. He fixed us all up but whatever they did to you, beyond his power. He said you had to wait it out.” 

“And the witches?“ 

“Gabe got them all, he says. But they kind of zapped him in the process.” Dean gestured over to the other bed where Gabriel lay curled up, Sam draped protectively over him. The archangel’s eyes were open but unfocused, their usual gold dulled to a pale brown. Castiel sighed. 

“My guess is that he has to wait it out even longer. It must’ve been a very potent dose of magic to take down an archangel. Sam, is he fevered?” 

“No, he doesn’t feel warm. Just normal- normal temperature, I guess.” Sam brushed his hand across Gabriel’s forehead, but he didn’t even blink. “This is different than it was with you,” he added. 

Castiel sat up, wrapping the sheet around himself. Dean reached to grab at his arm, but he swatted it away gently. “I’m fine, Dean. I’m just moving over there to assess.” Dean frowned, but Castiel moved to sit at Gabriel’s side and place a hand on his forehead. Melanie perched at the foot of the bed and exchanged a worried look with Sam. “Gabriel,” Castiel said softly, followed by several sentences in Enochian. Gabriel’s eyes shifted ever so slightly, and he regarded his brother. He answered, a few hoarse words in Enochian. Castiel nodded. 

“What is it?” Sam demanded. 

“It’s… hard to explain. The spellwork is very… well, when it hit me, it sort of… clung to the outside of my Grace, I suppose you could say. With Gabriel, the blast was more direct and it’s worked its way through. It will be harder to clear.” 

“Like cancer,” Melanie said. Her hand tightened around Gabriel’s ankle and she started to cry softly. She didn’t dare look at Sam but she knew he was on the verge of tears as well. 

“It may help if you both lie down with him,” Castiel said. He started to gather his clothes, giving space for Melanie to lay down at Gabriel’s side. Gabriel nuzzled his face into her hair, though he was still quiet. She sniffled. 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I love you, Gabe. I shouldn’t-” 

“Shh,” Sam soothed, his hand on her hip. “Don’t, not now.” 

Melanie sighed. She knew he was right; venting her guilt was not helping the situation. Selfish, really. She reached for Gabriel’s hand and twined her fingers in his. Sam’s hand closed around the both of them. 

She drifted off to sleep. It was the heat that woke her up again. She was dreaming about leaning against the old cast iron radiator in her dorm at college. In her dream she was studying for a test but panicking because the textbook was in the wrong language and she wasn’t going to be allowed in the exam. But why was she studying leaning against the radiator? It was so hot; way, way too hot. She should call maintenance, someone should fix it, what if the building caught on fire? Then she woke with a start and realized that it was Gabriel that was burning up. 

“Cas! Cas!” she called frantically. 

“What’s wrong?” he said, standing by her side in an instant. He looked completely back to normal; dressed, alert, and wide awake. 

“He’s so hot. Please get ice,” she said, shifting away. The side of her body was all soaked in sweat. “Sam, wake up.” 

“On it,” Dean said, grabbing the ice bucket and the bathroom trash can and heading to the ice machine. 

“What- oh god,” Sam said. 

“Dean went to get ice,” Melanie said. “Gabriel, honey, can you hear me?” 

“No,” Gabriel replied. “Can’t hear you.” His voice sounded strained, as if he couldn’t quite get a deep breath. 

“Baby, you’re so hot,” She combed her fingers through his sweat-damp hair. He made a noise of interest and pressed against her, and she snorted. “Not like- I mean yes, but- you have a bad fever…” 

Dean returned with the ice and they quickly wrapped it into ice packs and tucked them around him. “Let’s ice him down quickly. This is about when the horny part kicked in before.” Dean said with a shudder. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Castiel said, his eyes widening. 

“We were politely not going to mention it,” Melanie said. 

“It’s okay Cas, you were sick,” Sam said. “Anyway.… Gabe?!” The archangel’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he suddenly began to seize, his body thrashing on the bed. 

“Oh no,” Melanie whimpered. She reached out to try to still him, but Castiel moved her hands away. 

“You mustn’t restrain someone who is seizing,” he admonished. 

“We gotta get that fever down,” Dean said. He picked up the last of the ice and dumped it over Gabriel. 

It seemed like ages until the seizure ended, though it was just two minutes according to the clock. At the end of it, Gabriel was unconscious again. Castiel touched his forehead briefly with a fingertip. “It is starting to reduce. This is working.” 

Melanie grabbed the last dry towel and sat by his head, wiping the sweat from his face now and then. 

“Maybe I should go for more ice,” Sam said. “It’s just about all melted into the bed.” 

“I’ll go,” Dean offered. 

“No,” Cas said. “I don’t think it’s necessary. He’s starting to shiver.” 

They worked to remove the last of the ice, and strip the soggy blankets from beneath him. Dean grabbed the spare blankets from the closet and spread them over him. Gabriel shivered violently, his lips bluish. Tiny whimpering sounds came from his throat, and he curled up toward Melanie. Sam spooned up behind him, petting his hair and murmuring softly. 

“Uh. Cas and I are gonna go get us some food,” Dean announced. “Call us if anything changes.” 

Melanie listened to the buzz of the refrigerator motor, and the sound of someone’s TV in the distance. “Sam,” she said at last, hating how the sound echoed through the quiet room. “Do you think Charlotte’s okay?” 

“Of course,” Sam said. “Your mother… well, she takes good care of her. Probably spoils her, but, you know. That’s not the worst. I’m sure she’s being fed, entertained, cuddled, everything.” 

“But he just dumped her there… she must be so scared. And my mom… how am I going to explain… I mean, she doesn’t even know who the hell Gabe is.” 

“I don’t know, Mel. You’re going to have to tell her at least some of the truth, I think.” 

She sighed. She hadn’t wanted to try to explain to her parents the relationship between herself and the two men, nor the existence of the supernatural. “I’m not sure which part would be worse to explain.” 

“You know,” Gabriel said. “I can wipe their memories. Once I’m feeling like myself again.” 

Melanie twisted to face him. “You’re awake!” She pressed her forehead against his. “I’m so sorry, Gabe. I- thank you. Really. For everything.” 

“Don’t worry about it, sugarplum. Anything you need, anytime.” He clutched at Sam’s hand and pulled him closer. “You too, hot stuff.” 

Sam sniffled against his hair. “Oh god I was so worried, babe. How do you feel now?” 

“Gross,” Gabriel said indignantly. “Was I actually sweating?” 

“Well yes, your fever was stupidly high,” Melanie said. 

“Ugh,” he grumbled. 

“How about a shower?” Sam suggested. “You know, that’s what humans do when we feel gross.” 

“Only if you two get in there with me.” 

When Dean and Castiel returned with burgers and fries from the 24 hour fast food drive through, the triad was nowhere to be seen. The bathroom door was shut, and they could hear the shower running and faint giggling. 

“You three are disgusting!” Dean yelled at the closed door. There was the thump of a washcloth hitting the back of the door. 

“I’ll turn on the television,” Castiel offered. They sat on the couch watching ancient sitcom reruns, feeding each other fries, and kissing. They had just abandoned the food in favor of Dean pulling Castiel onto his lap and sliding his hands up under his shirt when the bathroom door opened. 

“Hah, now who’s disgusting?” Sam snickered. He went to the table and dug through the bags. “Aw, you got salads.” He handed one to Melanie. 

“Yup, and there’s chicken sandwiches, and there’s a Snickers flurry for sweet tooth over there.” 

“Much obliged,” said Gabriel, nodding graciously at Dean. He took the cup of ice cream and sat on the counter. 

“You seem fully recovered, Gabriel,” Castiel observed. 

“I am indeed, thanks for noticing.” Gabriel gestured with his spoon. “So is this what happens after a hunt? Food and making out?” 

“More or less,” Dean said around a mouthful of fries. 

“Mostly we just eat, pack up, burn whatever evidence we need to, and drive home,” Sam said. 

“Speaking of which… we should probably hit the road soon,” Melanie said. “I need to see my baby.” 

An hour later, they were on the road. Dean and Castiel were on the way back to the bunker in the Impala. Sam was behind the wheel of Melanie’s minivan, with Gabriel in the passenger seat and Melanie behind him. Melanie pulled out her phone. 

“Forty-three missed calls,” she sighed. “Well here goes nothing.” She dialed the phone. 

“Melanie Elizabeth Weiss!” her mother shouted without preamble. 

“Hi Mom...” 

“What are you up to now? So help me God you’d better explain this- this situation!” 

“Mom, please. Can we just talk calmly this time?” 

“No, no we absolutely cannot! You know, Melly, soooo many people said, how can you let that girl raise that baby by herself Kathy, she has no idea what she’s doing Kathy, without even a father, and after that time she ran off with that man and dropped out of college! But I let you be off by yourself, in that house all by yourself with that baby, and then last year you dragged her halfway across the country and-” 

“Mother, you’re being ridiculous. You didn’t ‘let’ me do jack shit, I was- I am- an adult, with a decent job, and a home and-” 

“A decent job that you abandoned to go and- I don’t even think there is any archivist job in Kansas, you know what? Charlotte says you don’t go to work every day. Charlotte says you just hang around this big huge house with all these men all day. What are you even-” 

Melanie hung up the phone, her hands shaking. “Yeah, okay sweetheart. You can do whatever brain rearranging to my parents that you need to.” She hugged her arms across her chest and started to cry, sobs shaking her body. Sam and Gabriel exchanged a worried look. 

“Sweetie…” Gabriel said soothingly, twisting in his seat and reaching back to pat her knee. 

“Why do I let her get to me?” she sobbed, rubbing her cheeks with the back of her hand. “This is why I can’t tell her. She already hates me.” 

“She doesn’t hate you,” Sam said. “But she doesn’t understand you, either. Honestly, I think if she knew- about the three of us, I mean- she’d have to kind of confront that. Either accept it, or not.” 

Melanie bit her lip and nodded. 

The drive took most of the day. They stopped for a late lunch at a diner, a little classier than Dean’s usual choices. Melanie picked at her food morosely until Gabriel started telling outrageous stories about the Middle Ages, and finally got her laughing at his story of King Philip I of France. 

“...so then he had to sneak around to see her - you know how they were in those days, blah blah blah you can’t divorce your wife and marry someone else - and I just so happened to be the man with the plan. I mean, the gardener, but. I felt for the guy, you know? So I constructed him a secret tunnel to his ladylove’s chambers.” 

“What, really? You actually built a tunnel through a French castle just so the king could get laid?” Sam asked. 

“Built might not be the right word. It might have been a pocket universe wormhole. Crap. I should probably go close that one of these days. Anywhoo. Phil got his, the bishops were none the wiser, and everyone was happy.” 

“You’re such a soppy old romantic, you know that?” Melanie squeezed his hand. 

“Ehh,” Gabriel said, waving his other hand dismissively. “‘S not like it was any effort. And… yeeeeah, they were in love. Couldn’t let that go to waste, not right under my nose like that. So, my dears, are we ready to head out?” 

They walked to the car, Gabriel’s hand on the small of Melanie’s back, and Sam on the other side holding her hand. “You know… this is the first date we’ve all had in months. We never go out, the three of us,” Sam observed. 

“That’s because we have a little girl, and the last time we left her with the uncles and went out, they let her cut her own hair _and_ eat a Lego,” Melanie said bitterly. 

“I really don’t think it was their fault…” Sam sighed. Melanie bristled. “Sorry, sorry, I know, we dropped it. Dropping it again.” 

They pulled up at the Weiss family home at around midday. “Wait here,” Gabriel said, and disappeared. 

Melanie leaned forward and rested her chin on Sam’s shoulder, her hand clutching at his bicep. His hair brushed against her cheek, the faint smell of his shampoo drifting around her, and she breathed in and relaxed a little, soothed for the moment. 

They didn’t have long to wait. Within minutes, Gabriel was back in the passenger seat. “Ok, kids. You’re good to go. Kathy remembers you dropping Charlotte off for a few days so you and Sam could go to a play in New York. And, uh. I talked to Lottie real quick, just told her that Grandma might remember things a little mixed up and it’s best not to correct it.” He leaned over and kissed Melanie on the cheek. “Go ahead you two, I’ll just go invisible and-” he’d raised his hand to snap his fingers, but Melanie grabbed it. “Wait! No, Gabe. I want you to come with us. I want to introduce you.” She took a deep breath. “It’s time. We’ve been together for a year, and I’ve been avoiding this, and… it’s just time. Whatever- whatever happens, I have you guys to get me through it. I need to face it now.” 

Melanie rang the doorbell. She would normally just saunter in, but this situation called for a bit more formality. Sam had a hand on her shoulder and Gabriel held her hand, fingers intertwined. The touches helped calm the swirling storm in her as her brain tried to imagine the terrible things she was about to hear. 

“Melly,” said Kathy in surprise as she opened the door. “How was the pl-” she scanned the scene on the doorstep. “Oh, I didn’t know you’d taken a friend.” 

“Mom, this is Gabriel. I- actually, is Daddy here? I need to talk to you both.” 

“Yes, he’s downstairs. I’ll call him… come in, come in.” She gestured toward the parlor to the left of the foyer, and they filed in there and lined up on the couch. Melanie clutched their hands tightly. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Sam whispered. 

Charlotte bounded up the stairs first. “MommyDaddyGabe!” she shouted, leaping into her mother’s lap first, then crawling between them all, distributing hugs and smoochy kisses on their cheeks. She was wearing pale pink glittery lipstick, and soon all their faces sparkled with it. She also wore a fairy costume, complete with wings, and a silver plastic tiara. She settled on Gabriel’s lap, and he produced a grape Tootsie pop for her. 

Kathy came up the stairs next, followed by Ed. They both looked confused and distressed. Melanie knew that was probably going to change soon to disappointed and angry. 

Gabriel tapped the little girl on the shoulder. “Lottie, kiddo, why don’t you-” 

“I’m not Lottie, I’m Fairy Queen Hortensia.” 

“So sorry your majesty,” Gabriel apologized with a serious air. “Do you think you can, ah, go out in the yard and check on your fairy minions? They need to know how to properly anoint the flowers.” 

Charlotte sighed. “We’re not flower fairies, that’s so-” 

“Charlotte, go play,” Sam said urgently. 

“Fine,” she sulked, and scampered out of the room and out the sliding glass door from the kitchen to the deck. 

Melanie stood up, and Sam and Gabriel followed her lead. “Mom, Daddy… I wanted to introduce you to Gabriel. Gabriel, these are my parents, Kathy and Ed.” Gabriel stepped forward and shook their hands, a charming smile on his face. He then put his arm around Melanie and she leaned into his side. 

“I don’t understand… are you…” Kathy began, glancing to Sam with a troubled look. “Are you two over? I don’t understand why you’d drag Sam here if you…” Kathy flailed. 

“Sam’s a good man, he’s still got a daughter to consider,” Ed said, studying Sam with admiration and sympathy. 

“No, it’s not like that,” Melanie said. She grabbed Sam’s hand. “They’re both my partners. We’re all- all of us, together.” 

“Oh God,” Kathy said, staring at the three of them in horror. “That’s ridiculous. Insane. Immature, even!” 

Ed scratched the top of his head and ran his hand over his face. “Melly, this is… honey, you know we love you but… sweetie…” He looked at Sam. “And you’re okay with this? Her having another boyfriend?” 

Sam huffed a nervous laugh. “Yeah actually… Gabriel was my boyfriend first; we’ve been together for four years now. And we’re all very happy together. I know it seems strange at first, but the three of us just… we bring out the best in each other.” 

“And what about Charlotte? What if she figures this out?” Kathy asked. She narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “Slut around all you want, but you cannot keep that child in that kind of environment, Melanie.” She seemed poised to lunge forward at her daughter, but Ed patted her on the shoulder, holding her back. 

“Charlotte understands just fine,” Gabriel said, looking Kathy in the eye. “She has three parents who love her, who would die to protect her. Loving, supportive parents is the key. Doesn’t matter how many of them.” 

Ed sighed, a look of resignation on his face. “So you... all live together, then? And… what do you do, Gabriel?” 

“Well, you know, I do a lot of things come to think of it. I read a lot, I make food, I run errands, I attend numerous stuffed animal tea parties. Oh, and I am amazing at Memory. Undefeated champion.” 

“But do you have a job?” Kathy asked acidly. 

“Nah. I was working as a janitor when I met Sam. Did some freelance stuff after that, but… mostly, no.” 

Ed and Kathy exchanged a look. “So you stay home with Charlotte?” Kathy asked. 

“Mostly,” Gabriel said, shrugging. “Look, so it’s been really great to meet you guys, but we should probably gather up and hit the road. Long drive, you know.” 

“I’ll go call Lottie,” Sam offered. 

“Now hold up there,” Kathy said, her eyes flashing with fury. “You three can just go back to your sordid life, God knows I can’t ever stop Melly from her stupid mistakes, but you are not taking that child-” 

“Kath,” Ed said, reaching for her arm, but she shook him off angrily. He took a step back, frowning. 

“You and your ridiculous hippie experiments, Melanie Elizabeth! I bit my tongue at the stupid breastfeeding thing, and the- the baby papoose contraption, and the natural birth that almost killed you, and, and not even letting me give her rice cereal for God’s sake-” 

“Oh, that was biting your tongue?” Melanie said with a bitter laugh. “Man, you sure did bitch me out for everything. Loudly. Frequently.” 

“Well I let you! Let you do whatever stupid ideas- but this is wrong, young lady, and you are going to ruin that girl’s life- have her turn out a whore just like-” 

“We need to leave,” Sam said loudly, looking at Gabriel. Melanie glanced over. The archangel’s face was entirely too calm, almost amused at Kathy’s verbal assault. 

Gabriel rolled his eyes and froze the Weisses, leaving Melanie and Sam free to move. “You’re right, Sammich. You know me too well. Mel will never forgive me if I smite her.” 

“Nor will Charlotte,” Melanie said tightly, stalking toward the back yard, trying not to think about how tempting it was to let him do it. Charlotte was seated under the maple tree, crushing a number of tulips. Her fingers were digging into the dirt, the mint plant beneath her hands not faring so well either. 

“Come on sweetheart,” Melanie called. “Time to head home.” 

“Yay! Oh I miss Pumpkin. Are Uncle Dean and Uncle Cas home, too?” 

“They were headed there, yeah,” Sam said. “C’mon baby, hop in the car.” 

“I should go say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa.” 

“Oh. Well. Um. They had to go, but they wanted me to tell you goodbye from them,” Melanie said, steering Charlotte around the house. “Take those wings off before you sit or you’ll crush them.” 

“Phrases I never thought I’d hear,” Gabriel muttered, shaking his head. “Hey, Cupcake, you okay?” 

“No,” she said dully. “No... it’s not like it’s just this, guys. I think you can probably tell that this is just the latest in a long line of… whatever from her.” She ran her fingers through her hair, angering her already frizzed curls. 

Sam leaned down to cradle her cheek in his hand and press his forehead to hers. “Hey. I need you to understand that the things she says are not true. You are not what she’s tried to convince you that you are. You are so, so much better than this.” He kissed her forehead. She could feel Gabriel’s hand on her hip, though he wisely let Sam do the talking. 

Melanie nodded, her blue eyes shining with tears as she looked up at Sam. “Thank you. I hope I can really believe that someday.” 

“Let’s head home and we’ll work on convincing you,” Gabriel said, holding the door open for her. This time she rode shotgun, Sam behind her, and Gabriel driving. 

“Family road trip, just the four of us,” Sam said. “You know, this is kind of nice.” 

“Yeah, but you still don’t get to pick the music,” Melanie taunted as she selected some 90’s pop on her iPod. Sam just grinned and shook his head as the other three started singing along gleefully. They soon reached the highway and turned westward, heading back to Kansas together. 


End file.
